I guess the fact that I haven't done a blog for quite some weeks is testament to the fact that we are settled and keeping busy here in Hanoi.
We have been here two months and now call the place home. We have both been busy with work, but unfortunately not overly busy on the recreational front. I am now working full time which has meant that for most of the time, I have been working six days a week. Not desirable, but good for the bank balance. On the up side is the fact that I don't have to travel far to work, just down stairs and across a courtyard.
We are living in a two bedroom apartment in a multi-story complex. The ground floor houses restaurants and businesses, including another kindergarten, a bank, 2 supermarkets and a real estate agent. It is a building only two years old and there is lots of construction work going on in the area including what is planned to be the tallest building in Vietnam. One of these buildings is outside our bedroom window and work usually starts at around 6.30am, unless they have been pouring concrete through the night. The truck drivers don't consider that some could be trying to sleep and they blast their horns to let the workers know they are there. Somehow the construction going on in the alley in Ho Chi Minh City pales in comparison.
We are about 10kms out of the centre of the city, so that isolates us a bit. There is still a rural feel to the area and we were amused one day to see a herd of cows being escorted down the highway. We have used the bus a few times to get into town and that is an experience that everyone should try. We had been warned that it does get cold here in Hanoi but what I have noticed is the poor air quality, a haze hangs in the air and we are breathing it.
The Old Quarter in the center of town is delightful, a completely different world. The streets are lined with trees and there is some beautiful architecture. The Hoan Kiem Lake is in the centre and around this is the main shopping district. The narrow streets are wrapped around the lake and each street has a specialty. Shops next to each other all sell the same wares, the logic is that if someone wants to buy shoes, they will know to find them in shoe street. Nothing about competition, they all sell duplicates of the shop next door. If one shop doesn't have your size, someone will run to the shop down the street to get them for you.
We have found a little French Cafe that we have promised ourselves will become the venue for Sunday breakfast. Beautiful croissants and coffee to die for, along with English language newspapers makes it worth the trip in. It might be just as well that it is not just around the corner from home.
Because of work commitments we haven't done much sight seeing, but at least that gives us something to aim for. Even though we have been here before on two trips, there are still things to discover. On one trip into town I found a small Buddhist temple, probably just meant for the street locals but once I stepped inside I have claimed it as my retreat. Initially it was just my refuge from the flooding rains but it has become more. The sound of a deep droning bell led me there. It is so plain and simple, nothing more than the front rooms of a dwelling, but a place to offer quiet contemplation and a refuge from the noise of the street. The bells ring and the chanting has a rhythm that lulls a sense of euphoria. Everyone has their place and their role as the prayers are read and life is celebrated. But it is my place and I am not telling anyone.
We do miss Ho Chi Minh City, our house, friends and neighbours there, the cafes that made an escape to Western lifestyle easy. But when we make it into town, the move is worth it.
